Pop Evil’s Leigh Kakaty – ‘We Never Wanted Money or Fame’

On Thursday night time’s Loudwire Nights (May 25), Pop Evil frontman Leigh Kakaty joined Chuck Armstrong to speak about his band’s newest album, Skeletons. You can hearken to the complete interview within the podcast participant under.

Skeletons marks Pop Evil’s seventh full-size report and their first since 2021’s Versatile, finishing an unintended bookend to the pandemic expertise.

“It just feels good for Pop Evil,” Kakaty admitted to Chuck. “We had everything just kind of taken away from us. Are we going to come back? A lot of bands, people in general, had to figure out where their lives were going…[there was] a lot of turmoil, depression and anxiety.”

Kakaty mentioned that as a musician, it felt like he was the primary one to get shut down and the final one to return again as soon as issues began returning to “normal.”

“I let that stuff come out in the writing process and in the album,” he says of Skeletons. “Now it feels good to have that anger in a place where we can harness it and not only release it but put it in a way that maybe could help someone else deal with things.”

Bringing Outside Voices Into the Studio on Skeletons

As irritating and scary as the previous couple of years have been for Kakaty and all musicians, it was apparent within the dialog that he continues to attempt to maintain maintain of the constructive issues in his world. One of probably the most constructive experiences of making Skeletons was inviting mates into the method to collaborate on a number of the tracks.

“We knew we were doing close to 10 songs and as [we got] to song seven, it gets a little boring,” he advised Chuck. “You’ve been doing this awhile, at some point, you’re a fan and you want to hear other people’s voices and learn from other musicians. Every frontman has something you can learn from. As you tour, as you come with a little more open mind, you watch people differently—how they front their band, how they perform onstage, how they hold their mic, how they’re getting different tonality live.”

The last three tracks of Skeletons all embrace collaborations: “Wrong Direction” options Devour the Day, “Dead Reckoning” options Fit For a King and “Raging Bull” options Zillion.

“This was fun. We weren’t overthinking it.”

It’s Important For Pop Evil to Stay Connected to Their Roots

One of probably the most constructive outcomes of being shut down over the pandemic was the truth that Kakaty was compelled to do one thing he would not usually do as a result of he is at all times on the highway—he stayed dwelling. It reminded him concerning the significance of remaining linked to his roots.

“It grounds you,” Kakaty mentioned on Loudwire Nights. “It gives you a home base, kind of like the song “Circles” on this album. It means so much for me. All that I wanted to do growing up in this small town in Michigan was, ‘I want to get out here. I want to go to L.A., New York.”

These days, although, Kakaty’s perspective has reversed.

“All I want to do is come home.”

READ MORE: The 40 Most-Played Songs on Rock Radio in 2022

When Kakaty is dwelling in Michigan, he goes to the identical bars and eating places that he did when he was rising up as a result of it helps make his story actual, as he defined, including to his writing, to his journey and to the respect he has for his followers.

“Be grateful for the little things,” he mentioned close to the top of the dialog. “That’s the true blue-collar mentality in the Midwest and that’s where I’m rooted and where I’m proud to be from. When you think about why we got into it, we never wanted money or the fame. We just wanted to make enough so we could make music for a living.”

What Else Did Pop Evil’s Leigh Kakaty Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

• The inspiration for the Skeletons monitor, “Paranoid (Crash & Burn)”
• Why touring is so troublesome and why he seems like rock bands are “the janitors of the music business”
• The significance of serving to others by means of the music he and Pop Evil create

Listen to the Full Interview within the Podcast Player Below

Leigh Kakaty joined Loudwire Nights on Thursday, May 25; the present replays on-line right here, and you’ll tune in dwell each weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you too can see if the present is on the market in your native radio station and hearken to interviews on-demand. Stream Skeletons at this location after which try Pop Evil’s full tour schedule.