Sonny Lanegan has focused his efforts into composing his own creative works in the form of White Pulp, an alternative electro-industrial rock project. Now he's expand his creative works into a whole another project made up of a duo act of himself and Isabella called The Dead Good. This duo works just the two of them to develop a unique style of sound and abilities unlike any other band out there. Taking some time to talk about this new project of theirs there is no telling as to how far this can go.
1. So tell me what has “White Pulp” been up to since we last spoke back in 2009.
After the release of my first album "Ashamed of Yourself", we released "Lost Inc" in 2010, followed by "Vulgarity is Not a Felony" in 2012 - our first US release with Full Effect Records/Sony. We build up our fan base here in the US, played several shows and the song "Full Time Bitch" from the latest album got chosen for a commercial of a Canadian energy drink. Currently we are working on ideas for a new music video for the song “Tastes Like Candy”.
2. You have another project in the works similar to that of The Dead Good from what you described, can you give me an insight into that?
Yes, it’s called "The Dead Good". It is my new project with my partner Isabella Knight that we started in the beginning of 2013. Currently we are recording our first EP, which will be released in May.
3. How does this project differ to “White Pulp”?
Most importantly it’s a duo and consists of Isabella as the lead singer and me as the guitar player and singer. It’s not a full band. There is no bass (neither in studio nor live) and we have the drums in the samples instead of having a real drummer. We could have had a full band but we decided not to because we wanted to keep this project between the two of us and it makes total sense the way it is.
4. How would you describe the overall sound of “The Dead Good” and the upcoming EP?
It’s a mixture of rock and alternative with stoner/bluesy elements and a hint of punk.
5. What lyrical theme do you and Isabella use in your music?
Isabella mostly writes the lyrics and sometimes I show up here and there adding something. The lyrics of our songs don’t have a straight line. They are not only about love or only about death for example. There is a dark beauty in the lyrics and our music. And sometimes we like to be a little sarcastic. One song for example is about holding on to something when everything is clearly dead. This song leaves space for interpretation, but uniformly it’s a theme to which pretty much everyone can relate.
6. What bands have influenced your project "The Dead Good" and its sound?
I can’t really tell you what exactly influenced us in order to start the project. Every time I work or have worked on something I never really sat down thinking about a specific band. What we knew is that we wanted to do something pretty raw and straight in your face. I just write what I feel like and I guess in the end it comes out a variety of all my influences from my whole life. From famous musicians to unknown bands, mixed with a signature of my own style.
7. Where are you in the recording process of the new EP?
We just finished recording all six songs for the EP. It’s going to be a free download with the chance of donation. We really like the way it turned out and we just want people to spread the word about our new project and make our music available to as many people as possible. (Pretty much old-school like when my friends and I from our teenage bands used to hand out demo tapes to people.)
8. Where did you record the EP?
We did the pre-production in our home studio. For the recording itself we went to the studio of Tico Zamora here in Los Angeles. He is not only a really good friend of us but also an amazing artist himself. Tico played in bands like Bad Brains and with a member of The Velvet Underground.
9. Who is producing the EP? How has the producer aided the recording process?
The EP is co-produced by Giacomo (Jac) Salani with whom I had the pleasure to work with in previous bands and releases. We both had a pretty clear idea of what we wanted and the same opinion of how the songs should sound like. Jac made sure to make everything smoother and took care of the mix and the master. He has an amazing studio with all state-of-the-art equipment in Florence (Italy) and has been a great supporter of our project.
10. What label will be releasing the EP?
None! For the first time we decided to not go with a label. We are happy to be able to release the EP for free and the only way to do that is without a label. This is our first step; let’s see how we feel after the release and how things evolve.
11. Did you and Isabella have any definitive goals you were shooting for before the recording process began for this EP?
We just wanted to do what we really like and in the way we want to without being underground. Isabella and I saw this project primarily as a private project and now it turned out to be a public one - which we are super happy about. It was important for us to not see the project as a job in the first place, more as an adventure that gives us pleasure.
12. What instruments and equipment did you use for the recording?
Since I decided to not use a bass, I used a Baritone guitar to fill the missing depth of a bass, but still having the sound of a guitar. Besides that I used a Fender guitar, Vox and Fender Amps, a Sovtek MIG 50 (which I love), some Electro Harmonix pedals, a Shure SM7B for our vocals and a Gretsch drum in the studio.
13. How was the vibe in the studio?
The vibe was great! But to be honest when we started I didn’t really know what to expect. Isabella and I do a lot of things together, but working on a music project was a complete different thing. Everything went really smooth; it was fun and really interesting to share this adventure together. She was amazing and I didn’t really miss the experience that I was used to - recording sessions in the studio surrounded by dudes and all the rest that comes with it.
14. Can you go into one or two tracks on the upcoming EP? If so, can you give us the track title and brief description of how the track sounds?
“Saw, Drills and Glue Guns” Imagine a freak show, upbeat tempo and ironic lyrics with a funky punk attitude.m“Room 106” is a catchy song, which tells a personal story of our past journey in a funny and sarcastic way. (Isabella asked me if I could write a more “happy” song and so I did.)15. When can we expect the first album of “The Dead Good” to be released?
We are already working on some new material and we are planning on releasing the first full-length album at the beginning of 2014. We are currently working on several different projects plus I’m working on some soundtracks, which consumes a lot of my time. Outside of the music project we customize guitars, cases and work on different kind of art projects that include painting, photography and fashion. I believe that things happen for a reason, so we’ll see what happens after the EP is released and we’ll take it from there. So far we really like what we did and hopefully you guys will too.
16. What can the fans expect to see from you in the future?
Soon we are leaving for Europe for 6 weeks. The trip is a mixture of pleasure, vacation and promotion for “The Dead Good”. We are both European so many of our old personal and business contacts are over there. So hopefully the European media and radios will like their US import.
Besides that we are working on a lot of merchandising. Isabella is making customized “The Dead Good” jackets. What first was meant to be a one-time-only project for her, turned out to be a highly requested item. She never uses the same jacket model or the same design. Only thing that stays the same is the hand painted logo on the back. I think they are pretty cool. We could start touring in three, six or whatever how many months from now. Most importantly, if it’s going to be fun, then we’ll do it!
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