If any band could bring Guy Picciotto, a co-founding member of Fugazi, out for his first recorded vocal performance in 25 years, it is Evil Island. Being called a “supergroup”, Evil Island is made up of post-hardcore legacies from The Blood Brothers, OFF! And Glassjaw.
Composed of Johnny Whitney (vocals), Cody Votolato (vocals, guitar), Mark Gajadhar (drums), Autry René Fulbright II (bass) and Todd Weinstock (guitar), the group brought in producer Ross Robinson (Korn, Slipknot) to construct chaos in their sound and cohesion on this new album. And they’ve clearly found their creative sweet spot through mutual respect and a deep history. Also in the mix are the aforementioned Guy Picciotto of Fugazi, Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells, and Michael Gatto of XCOMM. Johnny Whitney sat down with IINAG to chat about the new album, Terraform the Afterlife, via Blowed Out Records.
Kendra Brea Cooper: You spent quite a few months recording this album. What was the most memorable point in this process?
Johnny Whitney: The most memorable part of the recording process for me was the long talks I had with Ross Robinson before recording vocals. His process for this record was to have about a 35-minute heart-to-heart conversation with me before every vocal session. We’d talk through the lyrics, what my ideas were behind them, how my process had changed from the original concepts, the people they were about, how they made me feel, and where I wanted to take them.
He really tried to get me to think about how I wanted the lyrics and vocal performances to make people feel. It was kind of like a mini talk-therapy session between the two of us, and it really changed the way I approached my vocal takes.
KBC: What was the creative dynamic like while recording this album as a group who
already has a deep and respected creative history?
JW: The creative dynamic was one of the most cohesive I’ve ever experienced in a recording. I think there’s something about being older, knowing yourself better, and being comfortable with your own feelings and creative ideas that really cuts through a lot of the bullshit that can come with writing music with people you’ve known since you were 13.
For this record, we really tried to hone in on crafting the best version of our body of work over the years with Blood Brothers and other projects. I’d say this record is less expansive and more focused on the purity of the creative ideas. Every song is very economical. We wanted the entire record to feel like one cohesive body of work, and to put just enough into it that by the time the record ends, you can’t wait to hear another one.
KBC: What would you like a first listener to take away from this album?
JW: I think the goal for me with every record is to make something that makes me feel the way I felt when I was 12 or 13, hearing bands like the Dead Kennedys or Nirvana for the first time. There was kind of a before and after to the experience of being exposed to those records.
I remember hearing them for the first time and feeling like there was a new world I was entering, almost like a new reality. You feel things you didn’t know you could feel, and there’s this bubbling excitement that takes over your entire psyche.
That’s really what I hope someone gets from this record—that feeling of discovering something new that makes you excited to put on a record and listen to it again.
KBC: You have some brilliant collaborations on this album. If you were able to add one
more, who would it be?
JW: Jello Biafra. He’s always been one of my personal heroes, and I’ve stolen so many ideas from him over the years. He’s the perfect combination of a sneering, coarse, exciting punk singer and something that’s almost like Willy Wonka.
I think I’ve modeled a lot of my approach to being a singer after him. I’d love to hear what he would do on an Evil Island song. I think it would sound really great.
KBC: What is next for Evil Island?
JW: Touring, mostly. We’re going to try to get out as much as we can. The few shows we’ve played so far have been really, really, really fun, and I can’t wait to do more.
Eventually we’ll make another record, make more videos, make more crazy shit—just keep making stuff in general. I don’t really want to stop.
Evil Island on tour now:
Friday, Oct 16 – Chicago @ Lincoln Hall
Saturday, Oct 24 – Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
Friday, Oct 30 – New York @ The Bowery Ballroom
Saturday, Dec 12 – Los Angeles @ Sid The Cat
Sunday, Dec 13 – San Diego @ Casbah
Friday, Dec 18 – Denver @ The Marquis
