Samurai Shotgun attempt to inject innovation into rock with their storytelling abilities and distinctive mix of musical influences. After a troublesome yr through which the music trade shut down, the band need to discover their stride once more. Most significantly, Samurai Shotgun—Matt Henley (lead vocalist), Tyler Mulder (guitarist), Bryant Harp (bassist), Jovan Lecaro (drummer) and Marquis Blocker, aka DJ Qeys (turntablist/keyboardist)—are setting their sights on increasing their attain with their identifiable sound and giving the Tampa rock scene wider illustration. Assembly by work, faculty and mutual mates, the band share a love of music and increasing the style past its borders.  

With their new single “Limbo,” they proceed to breathe new life right into a boundary-pushing style and discover their energy with the potent monitor. By means of a young efficiency, the track tells the story of the band’s journey during the last yr.

Learn extra: Jean Dawson desires to concentrate on greater than the constraints of style

What impressed you to jot down “Limbo,” and the way did the idea for the music video develop? 

JOVAN LECARO: Effectively, I believe I began with the drums. I got here up with the drumbeat for that starting verse. I got here up with that earlier than we had been attempting to make the track, and I simply thought it was actually completely different [and] inventive, after which our bassist got here alongside and added a bass half to it. So we had been simply messing round with that. After which he began doing a little loopy impact, which is what led to that ending half. So we simply constructed it off these two sounds and determined, “Let’s attempt to put these collectively” in a method. After which I imagine Tyler had a guitar after we got here up with the bass and drums. 

TYLER MULDER: Yeah, I used to be nonetheless attempting to slap issues collectively all the best way to the studio. It wasn’t created for the pandemic, however it got here out on the proper time. 

MATT HENLEY: So that they created the music first, which is what we usually do with the band. It’s all the time the music first, after which I’ll write. It was upbeat, [and] it was slightly funky, slightly eerie, however the ending half the place it will get slightly tougher, that’s the half that actually acquired me essentially the most. With “Limbo,” the lyrics simply got here, to not sound corny, out of nowhere. And I began writing it as a result of our band had been mainly in a state of limbo as effectively. We weren’t doing an excessive amount of on the time. We had been divided in several states, not doing an excessive amount of musically. And the primary verse is definitely in regards to the band. And the second verse is about limbo usually to folks—what you is perhaps going by, in the event you’re caught in a spot, you don’t know the place to go, left or proper, up or down, you haven’t decided. It went into that adopted by the onerous half the place I did a spoken-word kind of rapping and screaming, and it hit me to do this. So, that was enjoyable.

Your band have been beneath the radar for therefore lengthy. What has that been like? 

MULDER: You may’t keep in a single space. You’ve acquired to enterprise out and expose your self to extra of an viewers. We began in Tampa, Florida, and it molded us. You’ve gotta discover alternative ways to place your self on the market, whether or not it’s social media [or] taking part in reveals. If we get a possibility to play in Cali, we now have to pack up and go. It might be a missed alternative in the event you don’t do it. In a method, we pushed it ourselves. Once we go to reveals, it’s like, “OK, we now have to shine on this present, it doesn’t matter what, carry out nice and put our names on the market.”

Earlier than the pandemic occurred, we had been actually grinding our enamel taking part in reveals and attempting to make issues occur with the band, and plenty of doorways opened for us, however we by no means actually acquired to take a seat on the desk and eat. And [with] the pandemic, it was like, “Perhaps it is a blessing in disguise” as a result of it gave us time to get our power proper as a band and determine issues out. We’ve been beneath the radar for therefore lengthy, and that takes a toll after some time.

HENLEY: It’s powerful. Most of us artists don’t have essentially the most cash and work jobs that we don’t like more often than not, however they offer us time without work for touring and stuff like that. However there’s plenty of dope bands in Florida, interval. It’s simply plenty of them don’t take that likelihood. I found out how you can e-book reveals and put collectively excursions myself. And in addition, I fell beneath the wings of some promoters in Tampa, they usually molded me as effectively to get that collectively. Our dwell reveals are the place we’re our strongest. Folks, even when they don’t just like the music or that style, can be like, “OK, this band have a dope stage presence. They’ll play their devices.” [Laughs.]

BRYANT HARP: It’s all about group. We had our album launch for our sophomore album, Riptide, and the entire city got here out to help us, mates, household. Individuals who haven’t seen us one time completely beloved us. They’re simply all the time there. We now have mates that we constructed from day one which we’re nonetheless mates with. I’ll stroll anyplace in Tampa, and I’ll have folks asking us how Mateo is doing, how’s Jovan doing. You may have 100,000 followers who don’t know precisely who you’re come out to reveals and luxuriate in themselves, however you [can] have 1,000 followers that completely love you. They know your first identify, your final identify, you keep in mind the dialog you had with them earlier than or after a present—it’s all in regards to the recollections. Your complete cause why I acquired into music within the first place was to have the ability to categorical myself and to have the ability to join with folks, to make folks really feel nice and to really feel nice myself.

What can followers count on from you subsequent? 

LECARO: We do have a brand new track that’s gonna come out quickly. We’re hoping for the summer season. It’s gonna be fairly dope. We now have new stuff popping out, so we’re excited for that.

HENLEY: It’s utterly completely different from “Limbo.”

FOR FANS OF: The OBGMs, Rebelmatic, Radkey

SONG RECOMMENDATION: “Limbo”

You may learn the AP RECS interview with Samurai Shotgun in concern 393 that includes cowl stars Architects. The difficulty is obtainable right here.