We discover Kevin Sharp in an unenviable but acquainted scenario to any musician throughout a prolonged tour: deep in a limbo between cities ready on the decision to aggravating mechanical troubles.
Sharp (ex-Brutal Truth, Lock Up, Primate), is on name to dive deep into the conception and launch of Venomous Concept‘s newest studio effort, The Good Ship Lollipop. However at this second, he is a tour supervisor managing an issue. Getting tireless steel workhorses Brujeria‘s tour bus up-and-running for that evening’s gig.
“Everybody simply thinks it is Saturday evening and let’s get rock n rollin’ and stuff, however getting level A to level B with everybody not going to the hospital and autos rolling easily is sort of a problem,” Sharp jokes, his legendary darkish humor on full show early in our interview.
“The older you get, the extra you respect the belongings you did and the life you have lived. Clearly, you already know, once you’re our age, you get nostalgic about issues. You take a look at your life and so many variables might have pushed it on this path or that. And right here we’re in a parking zone in entrance of the Goodwill, 54-years-old, waking up in El Paso.”
Pitch black humor and the power to search out levity within the darkest of instances is a recurring theme to Sharp‘s sit-down with Metallic Injection.
Silver linings in instances of disaster – managing the insanity if you’ll – are entrance and middle to Venomous Concept‘s latest effort, which Sharp admits could possibly be thought-about an, at instances autobiographical, idea file.
“It explains, in my place, what life was like when all of it unraveled,” Sharp shares bluntly. “You realize, it is a story as a lot as the subsequent. My ex-wife had continual sickness and what it was wish to stay subsequent to somebody with continual sickness and what it was wish to take care of infidelity and insanity and cruelty and that type of factor. It is a story as a lot as the subsequent one, and everybody has them.”
There’s catharsis in a piece that, on the floor, is probably the most unfastened, enjoyable and free assortment of cuts the mixed may of Sharp, frequent collaborator Shane Embury, John Cooke and newly recruited drummer Carl Stokes have uncorked in Venomous Idea’s 20 yr historical past.
But, there it’s, beneath the liner notes and slick and frantic manufacturing, a darkish albatross beneath the hopeful visage that mirrors a turbulent few years for its architect.
“The Good Ship Lollipop is all about that, you already know? The whole lot in there, the entire insanity, narcissism, gas-lighting, trauma bonding insanity, darkness, going locations which might be uncomfortable. However the one method to course of these issues for me is to jot down about it, or create one thing round it. And truly with my humorousness, why not do a melodic hardcore punk file about fucking dropping your thoughts?!” Sharp jokes, once more discovering humor in damaging areas.
“That drives the nail in my humorousness. I select to chortle at issues versus cry about them, you already know?”
Sharp has been upfront and trustworthy about his personal struggles with psychological sickness, penning a raw testimonial to Decibel within the wake of the tragic passing of The Black Dahlia Murder‘s Trevor Strnad within the spring of 2022.
“It wasn’t the simplest factor on the earth to jot down about. I had lots of people that wrote me and shared their insanity with me,” he admits, solemnly. “There’s lots of people hurting from the outcomes of what unraveled within the pandemic. Lots of people did not make it. I acquired plenty of associates which might be struggling in abuse. Some which might be combating their well being, some which might be combating their psychological well being. It is only a very tough time for everybody.”
Teasing that the successor to The Good Ship Lollipop is already within the growth levels, Sharp doubles down on the chemistry and brotherhood that’s Venomous Concept, a wild juxtaposition for the weighty topics wherein the band covers.
“Venomous Concept has all the time simply been a idiot’s love, you already know? We all the time simply sort of acquired collectively, advised some jokes, wrote some songs, recorded them. We have just about all the time recorded them with our personal cash and figured issues out. This time is a bit completely different. You realize, we have gotten additional into issues that we actually need to do.
“And I suppose once you become old and also you sit there and also you’re in a van or bus or no matter, and also you sit there and also you speak plenty of shit about like, ‘Oh, I need to do a file that feels like this,’ blah, blah. It is all a bunch of fucking pillow speak. After which alongside comes the pandemic, and also you simply sort of have the time to take a seat down and take into consideration issues and make it occur.
“I imply, everybody’s making an attempt to determine their factor out. We’re all going via shit. I went via a divorce. Shane has household points. He was at residence for X period of time, and he is acquired to see his children. That is all up in his head. Everybody’s making an attempt to determine do what we do, and nonetheless be who we’re.”
And Kevin Sharp, by his personal admission, is rattling happy with who he’s.
Venomous Concept‘s The Good Ship Lollipop is accessible worldwide via Decibel Data.
