Noah Sebastian of Bad Omens discusses the intricate and demanding creative process behind their new music, emphasizing a commitment to artistic integrity over conventional release schedules.
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Well, look at this. Noah Sebastian Bad
Omens. What's going on, brother?
>> Not much. Just uh working, writing, and recording.
recording.
>> So, so I I thought this would be just a
little bit of a taste. You and I, we we
spoke right when the beginning of the
Death of Peace of Mine was getting
rolling. So, I thought it'd be kind of
cool that you and I could be well,
essentially the first to wrap about
what's going on with this this next new chapter.
chapter.
>> Yeah. When was that? Was that 2022?
>> You guys were just about to record
>> Spirit Box.
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I think it
was just before that though. But
actually, um, you remember the next day
you were going to shoot the video for
Nowhere to Run, I believe. The next day,
so we were talking a lot about that. But
right now, you're full on writing the
record. It's not done.
>> No, I mean, it depends who you ask. you
know, we sure
>> we have a lot of songs that could make
more than one record. And
>> uh the biggest hurdle I've had with it
is just the spaces between creative and
then going back on tour and getting back
into like performance mode and travel
mode and like what that does to me and
how I have to prepare for that. And also
creating a live show. We made a whole
new one before we did Mayhem Festival
and that took a lot of time and creative
energy. Um, so yeah, it's kind of just
the the matter of bouncing back and
forth from writing and trying to pick
back up where you left off and also
being inspired by new things before
you're even wrapping up the thing that
you started. So that's why I'm kind of
toying with this idea of like maybe I'm
going to make more than one record or
just one really large record that tells
more of a story about why the record
sounds the way it does. I I don't know.
I'm still I'm still playing with it and
I'm trying to not get stressed out about
it and just enjoy the process of writing
and playing shows and putting out songs
that we want to play live.
>> When you're in the studio and we're when
you're working on tracks, uh, is it hard
for you to let go to to just like I'm
I'm done with this one. It's it's where
I want it to be or do you feel like you
always have to noodle?
>> Dude, it's impossible. It's like that
saying like art is never finished. It's
only abandoned. >> Um,
>> Um,
>> sure. because especially with the
freedom of producing it all myself, I
there's always some new thing I can try
or tinker with. And I was I was joking
with my friend Dan. Um he's a really
talented producer and writer, Dan
Bronstein, and he calls it like quantum
writing because it's like with computers
now there's like you can try every
version of songwriting that exists. Like
you can have a song and a chorus and be
like let's try it with this drum beat.
Let's try it with this instrument
instead of this. Let's try it this
tempo. And it's just like too many
options. And for someone like me that's
like a crazy overthinker, I get really
wrapped up in like abandoning and just
accepting something as it is when it
excites me because I'm always like it
can be better. It can be great. It can
be it can be catchier. It can be
heavier, you know?
>> And you just have to walk away though
sometimes, right? I mean, you just got
to like, okay, does someone have to pull
you back? Like, no, chill, dude.
>> Exactly. Yeah. Exactly. I need someone
to be reel me in and be like, dude, the
song's great. It's fine. Let's let's
move on, you know?
>> Okay. So, with this this new album,
obviously you're doing not only writing
the songs, which is all-encompassing,
but you're thinking about the visual
aspects and what the stage is going to
look like and and all that. How how how
involved is everyone else Jolly doing
his thing? How how involved is the rest
of the band?
>> Well, with the writing stuff, Jolly and
I, we do pretty much all the writing.
And more more recently, uh, our good
friend Michael Taylor, he he's in a
project called Chief and he's also
helped produce a lot of our music videos
from the last record. and we lived with
him for a long time and he's a great
guy. He's a good friend of ours and he
is a really talented writer and producer
as well and we've kind of brought him
more into the mix full-time writing. Um,
so right now the core writing group is
me, Jolly and our friend Michael. Um,
and then like with the stage design and
the creative and the visuals, that's
pretty much all me as far as the
creative goes, like the conceptualizing
and the audio side of the live show,
like making the tracks and the
transitions and the instrumentals and
all that stuff and the voiceovers.
Um, and yeah, it just it it really just
takes a lot because to me with a band
that omens has gotten so big in like a
commercial way
>> and I don't want the creative to fall
under that like
>> you know uh ripple effect of the the
commercial side of success and
>> to retain like integrity and like a
strong creative like DNA that's always
been there because I'm so hands-on with
it it takes a lot more time than other
bands to do something, you know, like
other band goes to a studio or producer,
they write a record for a month and then
they're done. And the rest of the work
is like mix notes and maybe like a
pickup line they want to re-record or
something. But I'm like trying to do all
this stuff and I'm trying to get better
too at delegating and finding more
people to help me with the the creative
stuff that I
>> I just don't have time to do all of it
and sleep at night. Mhm.
>> But uh yeah, it's just it's just it's a
good problem to have, you know. I think
it's just the curse of us getting
uh more in demand as a band. Like more
people want to see us in more places
more often and
>> people want new music and people want,
you know,
>> we can't go play in Spain and write a
new record and then shoot a music video
and do all this stuff and
>> it's it's a lot. But I just I refuse to
like bend the knee, so to speak, to the
conventional format and like expectction
of a band of our size to like deliver
things at a certain time at a certain rate.
rate.
>> I deliver things when they're done.
>> And if you can't wait for that, like
there's plenty of other stuff for you
enjoy in the meantime and hopefully come
back to it when it's ready.
>> That's right. Yeah, that's right.
>> But I'm not going to put something out
that I'm unhappy with, even if it takes
longer than it should.
>> Yeah, I get that. Uh, I remember you
telling me a story about how you and
Jolly were like cruising around LA
looking for set design stuff and then
you would whatever you'd go and find
somewhere like at a junkyard and take it
back and you guys are like spray
painting stuff and making it. Are you
guys past that level now? Now you got
people to go get that stuff for you.
>> Uh, a little bit. Yeah, sometimes. The
Specta video was such a a large budget
and like large crew operation and it
took place across two countries. Shot it
in two different countries.
>> Wow. Um, and it was so much fun to make,
but man, it was so much work. I mean, it
took months of preparation. And
God, yeah, I'm still
>> feeling it. Yeah, it looks like you're
>> so proud of that song in that video, but
man, it took like all of spring just to
get one song out. And that's kind of
what I'm trying to explain that this
example of like
>> it's special and it's like people
connect to it. And I love the song. It's
my favorite song I've ever made. That's
probably why I put it on such a pedestal
and put so much into the release. But >> wow.
>> wow.
>> Uh it takes a lot to make that. >> Yeah.
>> Yeah.
>> You know, like every step of the process
from writing it, recording it, getting
it mixed, and then the music video stuff
and the visuals and the roll out, it's
like there's so many people
>> putting energy and time into that and
>> trying to make it, you know, live up to
my expectation of it, you know.
>> Yeah, I I do. I do. I can hear it in
your voice, too. We're going to talk
more about that here in a sec, too.
We're going to get into the whole
Spectre aspect of this interview, but
you guys out there watching this right
now. This is just a little teaser of
Noah and I rapping right now. You're
going to hear more of um Noah's thoughts
behind Spectre in the making of on the
radio throughout the country. So, this
is again just this little teaser. So, I
wanted to say number one, awesome to see
you, dude. We're going to we're going to
get more into this. I wanted to say
thank you for I got a little bit more. I
got some hardware here from you know.
>> Oh, nice.
>> I got that. I got the one behind you,
too. back there, too. So,
>> which is
>> I've got some in my basement I haven't
opened yet.
>> I bet. And I was, you know, this is
cool. My mother-in-law made that, you
know. She So, she took the flag.
>> It's like a tapestry or
>> Yeah. turned it in. So, yeah. So, please
Well, you know, you guys were selling
the flag right at the at the show. So,
she turned it into a curtain for me. So,
please do more do more flags at your
next, you know, merch sale. So, thanks
again, brother, for this. I hope to talk
to you soon.
>> All right. Later, man.
>> All right, bro. Later. Thanks for your time.
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