Chicago – So far 2015 has been pretty, prettttty, pretty good for Meat Wave. The Chicago punk band signed with SideOneDummy, played Riot Fest, released their sophomore album Delusion Moon, and they just headed off on a three month tour. Not bad, Meat Wave, not bad at all.
Meat Wave consists of bassist Joe Gac, drummer Ryan Wizniak, and guitarist and lead vocalist Chris Sutter. The three first gained a local following with their self-titled debut, back in 2012. After making a name for themselves around the Midwest, news of Meat Wave spread thanks to the fantastic EP Brother. After its release, the guys found themselves featured on music blogs and websites, including Noisey and Alternative Press, and signed with SideOneDummy Records. This September the trio unleashed their self-recorded Delusion Moon, which Chris has said was inspired by “madness, destruction, death, life, conflict, humanity, confusion, and delusion.” Best New Bands caught up with Meat Wave at Riot Fest to learn more about Delusion Moon. Joe, Ryan, and Chris talked full moons, sinkholes, and feeling cool in Europe, before partaking in one mean and greasy funnel cake.
You’re a Chicago band, but are you all originally from Chicago? How did you meet and come to be Meat Wave?
Joe: We all live in Chicago. We’re originally from the suburbs, from McHenry County.
Ryan: Chris and I played in a band called, well we still play in a band called Truman & His Trophy, and Joe we know from recording. He’s been around the Northwest suburbs recording tons of bands. That’s how we all know each other.
You have a new album, your sophomore album, Delusion Moon. Tell us about it!
Chris: We started recording it in November of 2013, so it’s been awhile. We’re really excited to finally release it. It’s about a bunch of things, mainly people and how they’re crazy.
There seems to be quite a bit of social commentary in some of your songs.
Chris: Yeah, I do that. There is social commentary from a bunch of different points of view, not just my own. That was fun to inhabit a little kid’s mind or my crazy internship boss’ [mind].
What inspired the title?
Chris: It all started with experiencing fucked up things that happen during a full moon. [everyone laughs] Around the time of writing all these songs, I was having a hard time excepting humanity and people. It sounds whiny, but I think you can tie it to the moon.
Do you have a favorite track?
Ryan: I’m gonna go with “Network.”
Chris: I would say that, too.
Joe: I like “I Was Wrong” a lot. It’s really fun to play. I think it’s probably the weirdest song on the record.
You played a new song at Riot Fest, “Sinkhole.” What is this song about?
Chris: “Sinkhole” is about a kid who got swallowed by an Indiana dune in a sinkhole. It was a true story, and he lived. He was down there for four hours, I think one or two summers ago.
You guys have begun to gain attention outside of Chicago and the Midwest. How’s that been?
Ryan: I think the craziest thing was when we went to Europe, people came to the shows even though we had never been there before. Each show we’d show up and be like, “Well, is anyone going to be here?” But then people would come! We felt very fortunate and it was really cool.
You guys are touring this Fall, right?
Chris: Yeah, we’re going on a really big tour starting in October, all the way through to December. We’re starting on the East Coast, going down to Florida, to some fests, then we’re going to fly to Iceland, which is mind-blowing to us, and [we'll] do a European tour. Then we’ll come back to the U.S. and do a little more touring.
Meat Wave is on tour now. You ought to show up and make the band feel cool! A full list of tour dates is available on the band’s Facebook page. Delusion Moon is available for purchase on iTunes.
Photo by Sarah Hess for BestNewBands.com
Sarah Hess
After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.
You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.
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