The Protest have got an all new album "Legacy" out this summer. Before that happens, some tracks were released that included "What Else You Got" and "Noise Revolution", with more underway. Lead frontman vocalist Joshua Bramlett goes into chatter about the album, it's singles, and future plan of promotion in regards to all of this, and the band themselves.
1. Let’s start with introductions, who are you and what do you do in the band?
Joshua: My name is Joshua Bramlett. I am the lead vocalist for The Protest. I make 1/4 of the band with Jarob Bramlett (drums), Adam Sadler (guitar), and T.J. Colwell (guitar).
2. So The Protest is a unique name – is there a story behind it? Where did it come from?
Joshua: The name of our band has a pretty textured past. For many years we went by the name "Protest for Pluto." We were all fresh out of high school and thought it would be clever with Pluto being kicked out of the solar system and what not. As time progressed our band's motives changed as well. We wanted to use rock n’ roll to uplift people and encourage them. Our thought was that rock doesn't have to be so "doom and gloom." With this thought in mind we wanted a rebrand that would match our new outlook. What better way to start that process than change our name?!? The Protest is meant to be a bold name that will hopefully draw people in and get them interested in what we are about. At the end of the day we want people to leave our concerts feeling different (and better) than when they came.
3. How would you describe the music style that your band creates and plays?
Joshua: There are hundreds of genres and sub-genres to rock these days. People say we sound like everything from Metallica to Avenged Sevenfold to even bands like The Used. We usually tell people hard rock, which is such a general statement. As corny as this sounds the music we write just kind of comes out naturally. WE LOVE ROCK AND ROLL and we believe rock n’ roll thrives off of energy and being dynamic. Being fans of rock music, we have influences from all across the board. Our music has a very modern rock feel with elements of hard core, metal, 80's rock, and even pop. I guess we just want listeners to be taken on a wild ride when listening to our music!
4. You recently released your newest single "What Else You Got", where did you find the inspiration for this fun track?
Joshua: "What Else You Got" on Spotify is the most anthemic song we have ever been a part of. The song was co-written with Josiah Prince and Jeremiah Jones, two amazing song writers. In my mind it has an almost Def Leppard vibe to it. The drums are huge and you can sing along with it very easily. When we heard their idea we were stoked! The song itself was a blast to record. The inspiration behind the song is simple. Fight back and keep your head up. The world we live in is a tough and unforgiving place. As human beings we have two choices; stand strong, keep our heads up, and press forward or to give in and accept defeat. This song is a rallying cry urging the listener to hold on through oppression. As mentioned above if our music encourages the listener, then its mission accomplished.
5. What was it like shooting the accompanying video for this single?
Joshua: Shooting the video for “What Else You Got: was very interesting, which you can see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2O3Z0dfvX4. We hired our friend and music video wizard Adam Shewmaker to film the video. This was back in late February and were leaving for tour in just a couple days, so time was of the essence. Not to mention it was FRIGID. If you look closely at the video you can see our breath… It may look like a cool effect, but it’s the cold air! We had many space heaters and in-between takes we would all gather around them to try to warm our bones. The location was a huge garage that the day before was filled semis and trailers. With the help of friends and family we transformed the place in to what you see in the music video. We dumped dozens and dozens of bottles of water on the floor to give it the shiny effect. It was a very DIY video - but we really happy with how it turned out. We’re so humbled to have such amazing folks in our lives, helping us with things like this.
6. What would you say this track means to you and why?
Joshua: This song means a lot to me personally. I've struggled my whole life with anxiety and depression.. Frankly it has gotten the best of me many days. I would get in such a hole and didn't know if I would be able to climb out of it. This song to me speaks LIFE. It offers hope and empowerment over life’s travails. So, to me, this song is really a step in healing and every night we play it on stage it is such a release! We hope our fans and the listeners alike can relate.
7. Do you have any plans to release additional singles and videos from your new "Legacy" album this year? If so – which other tracks will they be?
Joshua: As far as future singles go, we aren't totally sure just yet. We are a little biased, but we think this album has a lot of singles on it! There will be conversations to be had about which songs those are exactly but it is safe to say you can expect more singles off the record. Our band loves music videos! If we had it our way we would do a music video for every single song. Something about seeing the band performing and having the song’s story played out through music is special to us. We hope there will be multiple music videos coming from this album.
8. How did you end up getting in touch with Rockfest Records/Sony?
Joshua: The CEO of Rockfest Records Joseph Rojas is a a very good friend. We have toured with his band Seventh Day Slumber on multiple occasions and he and his family became family to us. He reached out to me one day and shared his vision of Rockfest Records and expressed his interest in hearing some of the tracks we were working on in the studio. He liked the tracks and offered us spot on his label. We were and are very humbled to be a part of the Rockfest Family! Joseph's vision is amazing and he believes in his artists. The lineup of artists include Random Hero, Zahna, The Persuaded, and Amongst the Giants and every single one of them are amazing! We believe Rockfest is poised to do some major moving and shaking in the rock world, and we’re grateful to be a part of it.
9. What plans do you have for touring for the rest of this year?
Joshua: We have some festival dates and a run in Europe this fall which we are very excited about! Our band thrives on performing live and absolutely loves touring. We have a whole new team behind us and a lot of big plans for the future so I think you can expect to see The Protest in a town near you very soon! You can keep up with our tour plans over here: https://www.theprotestrocks.com/.
10. Any final words for our readers?
Joshua: We hope to meet you all out there at a live show very soon. We are very excited to share our new record "Legacy" with you - it will drop July 13th and we would be honored if you check it out! Now, enough of the shameless self-promotion. You guys rock. Stay encouraged and hang in there. Believe in hope, be a light, and share the love. We appreciate you taking the time to read about 4 goofballs from the Midwest trying to make some noise! Please connect with us through all of the available social media sites!
Connect with The Protest:
Official Website: https://www.theprotestrocks.com.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theprotest.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theprotestrocks/.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theprotestrocks.
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/legacy/1375746007?app=itunes&ign-mpt=uo%3D4.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1b4S8weyOkXwC0n6t3dvTQ?si=41Y1IU2qRNe1LeQezeQKrw.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMEc5TO0rmPhR9y3BWM-FUQ.
Bands In Town: https://www.bandsintown.com/a/107415-the-protest.
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