New Jersey band U.S.M.O.M. (Unsafe Ships Made of Metal) have released their debut album, 90 Seconds to Midnight. We asked them the BIG questions . . .
The band feature Corey Mead on guitar and drums, Rick Rosenberg, on vocals and guitar and Dublin-born Johnny Munro on lead vocals and bass.
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They say the title of their debut album is based on the current time the doomsday clock is set to by scientists reflecting concerns about war, climate and AI.
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
Johnny and Rick have been friends for years and met Corey mid 2021 at an outdoor jam session in our hometown of South Orange, New Jersey. We all decided to meet up regularly and continue playing. Corey had written the song Freeway a number of years ago so we worked on that first and then started writing material together from there.
Johnny grew up in Dublin and graduated in Civil Engineering before moving to the US via stints living in London and Sydney. Rick grew up in Los Angeles and Tennessee, has been a DJ, movie maker, author and worked in advertising. Corey grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, started as a full-time musician and is also an author and teacher.
We mainly recorded, mixed and mastered the album in Johnny's home studio. We wanted to push the limits of producing an album ourselves. We spent literally hundreds in the of hours in the studio perfecting the album as best we could but did jump into a professional studio for a meagre four hours to lay down a couple of vocal takes and drum lines.
How would you describe your music?
It’s a meld of rock genres including indie, psychedelic, garage and Americana. It’s got an edge to it, definitely dark but not in a miserable way. We wanted it to be thought-provoking so there are some pointed questions amongst the lyrics that are meant to be uncomfortable and encourage contemplation. Life is hard so we wanted the theme of resilience to be explored and hopefully delivered in an empathetic helpful way.
Who are your musical inspirations?
Johnny: Nick Cave, Radiohead, Sly and the Family Stone.
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Rick: Zeppelin, U2, Pink Floyd, '90s grunge
Corey: The Rolling Stones, ‘70s Aerosmith, Paul Simon
What was the first gig you ever went to?
Johnny: The legendary line up of U2, Simple Minds, Eurythmics, Big Country, Steel Pulse and Perfect Crime at the Phoenix Park, Dublin in 1983.
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Rick: My mother tells me when I was three years old, we saw Paul Revere and the Raiders at a Los Angeles mall. The first one I remember was Styx at the Knoxville Coliseum.
Corey: KISS at the Cow Palace in San Francisco.
What was the first record you ever bought?
Johnny: Punks Not Dead by The Exploited from my school mate Brayo.
Rick: Evie Sands’ Angel of the Morning.
Corey: The soundtrack to Grease.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Johnny: Nil Aon Easpa Orm by Rónán Ó Snodaigh and Myles O’Reilly will likely be my most streamed song of 2024 at the rate I have been playing it. Saw them at a gig in Dublin a couple of years ago backing Glen Hansard and have been following them ever since.
Rick: Deep Stays Down by Larkin Poe.
Corey: Cigarettes and Forget by Blue Lucy.
Favourite lyric of all time?
Johnny:" No matter how I struggle and strive, I’m never getting out of this world alive" - Hank Williams.
Rick: "We glorify the past when the future dries up" - U2.
Corey: Too many Paul Simon lyrics to choose!
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life what would it be?
Johnny: Draw Your Swords by Angus and Julia Stone. A longtime favourite that I was pretty stoked they played in their set when I saw them in New York earlier this year.
Rick: Pigs On The Wing by Pink Floyd.
Corey: Impossible to choose, but I’ll say Let It Loose by the Rolling Stones.
Where can people find more information about you and your music?
We can be found on all music streaming platforms.
Alan Corr
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